Is it just me, or is being an introvert almost ‘trendy’ now?
I keep reading article after article about being an introvert and how to raise introverted children and how to be a successful introvert and why introverts are awesome… And I love the idea of being a bit introverted! It seems very romantic and thoughtful and intelligent and emotional and deep.
And darnit, I’m about as extroverted as they come! (Well, according to every single personality test I’ve ever taken.)
Over the past few months, I’ve had a lot of alone time, and I loved it! So, I thought this might be my chance to finally score a bit more ‘introverted’ on the extrovert vs introvert scale.
Well, it wasn’t meant to be.
I’m just as extroverted as ever (says the same personality tests that I retook in hopes of ‘introverting’ my score).
Not that being an extrovert is a bad thing – I love my extroverted self! But, I’m such an extreme extrovert, I thought it might be nice to score a little more balanced.
So when I came across this article, I was quite pleased, because maybe I’m an introvert after all, right?!
Let’s see… (according to the Huffington Post)
(source)
—–
23 Signs You’re Secretly an Introvert
1. You find small talk incredibly cumbersome.
(No) Who am I kidding, I love small talk! Of course with close friends I’d rather get right into the good stuff, but I always try to find something to talk about with people around me, even if it is about the weather.
2. You go to parties -– but not to meet people.
(No) Generally I go to parties because my friends are going to be at a party and I’m looking forward to chatting with them… but I also love to meet new people. (OK, so I’m 0-2, we’re not off to a great start here.)
3. You often feel alone in a crowd.
(Maybe) YES. Well, I mean unless I know someone else in the crowd, in which case I don’t feel alone at all. I’ll give myself 0.5 points for this one.
4. Networking makes you feel like a phony.
(Yes) I hate networking. Hate it. I should love it (I mean, I am in the business world!), but I just find it boring and exhausting.
5. You’ve been called “too intense.”
(Yes) I can be a bit intense… and I love deep discussions and talking about philosophy and other thought-provoking ideas. So yes, I think I could be considered “too intense” by some but I like to think of myself as “a good thinker.”
6. You’re easily distracted.
(No) Ummm while writing this post I’ve gone on Twitter, cheered for the Bears on this Monday Night Football game, talked to the Husband… yes, I’m easily distracted. Oh, upon reading the description of this, it says that introverts prefer relatively unstimulating environments… nevermind – I love stimulation.
7. Downtime doesn’t feel unproductive to you.
(No) Even though I got very good at relaxing during my 5 months of being laid off, I still felt horribly unproductive. I just don’t do well with downtime, even though it’s something I’m working on.
8. Giving a talk in front of 500 people is less stressful than having to mingle with those people afterwards.
(Yes) I love public speaking and I also love mingling with people, but I don’t like mingling in a crowd of people whom I’ve never met before… so we’ll say this one is true.
9. When you get on the subway, you sit at the end of the bench -– not in the middle.
(Yes) Who the heck sits in the middle of a bench?! That would just irritate everyone who gets on after you. Also, that’s like choosing the middle seat on a Southwest flight when there are still aisle and window seats available… it makes no sense!
10. You start to shut down after you’ve been active for too long.
(No) Nope, being out and about actually energizes me more!
11. You’re in a relationship with an extrovert.
(Yes) True, true, true! The Husband is just as extroverted as I am. (But the point of this one was to say that opposites attract… I’m still counting this as a point.)
12. You’d rather be an expert at one thing than try to do everything.
(No) I want to be an expert at EVERYTHING. I hate not being good at things, it irritates the crap out of me.
13. You actively avoid any shows that might involve audience participation.
(Yes) YES YES YES. I hate audience participation and always pray I don’t get chosen. (I always get chosen, of course.)
14. You screen all your calls — even from friends.
(Yes) Ummm of course I do, who doesn’t?! If I’m busy, I wait until I have more time to talk before I answer the phone. I can’t imagine life without caller ID.
15. You notice details that others don’t.
(No) Nope. I wish I did, though! Maybe I’d be better at fashion or interior decorating if I were more detail oriented.
16. You have a constantly running inner monologue.
(Yes) All. the. time. I wish I could shut my brain off a lot of the time, especially late at night!
17. You have low blood pressure.
(Yes) Well, this is true, but I like to attribute my exercise regimen. We all know I can’t credit my diet!
18. You’ve been called an “old soul” -– since your 20s.
(No) Ummm probably not.
19. You don’t feel “high” from your surroundings
(No) How can anyone not feel ‘high’ from a concert or sports game?! Clearly these people have never been to Lollapalooza or a Chicago sporting event.
20. You look at the big picture.
(Maybe) Hmmmm I’m going to say if by ‘big picture’ they mean ‘my future’ than yes, I focus on that more than the right-now. However, I am an accountant, so I’m more of a detail-oriented person for sure… I’ll give myself another 0.5 points for this one.
21. You’ve been told to “come out of your shell.”
(Yes) Yeah, I am fairly self-conscious I suppose… I mean, I hate karaoke… does that mean something?!
22. You’re a writer.
(Yes) I wish I was a (decent) writer! But I’m a blogger, so does that count?! I’m going with “heck yes.”
23. You alternate between phases of work and solitude, and periods of social activity.
(No) Well, I work during the day and I socialize at night and then after that I have some solitude… does time with the Husband count as solitude? I guess I’m really not alone very much, I just don’t enjoy it if I could be spending time with a loved one instead!
—–
So my final score is 12/23, which means I’m about half-introverted! Whooohooo! Although, I’m not quite certain I should be counting some of these things… like being married to an extrovert or having low blood pressure… but whatever! This immediately makes me feel more balanced than those other personality tests would have me believe.
What about you, are you an introvert or extrovert? Did you relate to more of these questions than you thought you would?
Cheers to differences!
